Energy Expenditure in the Race Across America (RAAM)
Energy expenditure was measured by doubly labelled water in a four-rider team that finished the Race Across America in relay in 6 days 10 h and 51 min, and energy intake was calculated from everything they ate and drank.
Mean energy expenditure was 43,401 kcal per rider over the race, 6,420 kcal a day; intake was 29,506 kcal, 4 918 kcal a day, leaving a deficit of 13,878 kcal (1,503 kcal a day). The authors call for high-energy diets that are both correctly balanced and palatable enough to encourage intake.
Participants
n=4 cyclists forming one relay team (abstract: "A team of 4 cyclists"): age 37 ± 4 yr, height 182 ± 8 cm, body mass 80.8 ± 6.6 kg. Sex and competitive level are not given in the abstract.
Protocol
Race Across America, completed as a four-rider relay.
Energy expenditure: doubly labelled water over the race.
Energy intake: calculated from all food and drink consumed; energy balance = intake minus expenditure.
Key Results
| Per rider (mean) | Total over the race | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Energy expenditure | 43,401 kcal (181,711 kJ) | 6,420 kcal (26,879 kJ) |
| Energy intake | 29,506 kcal (123,536 kJ) | 4 918 kcal (20,591 kJ) |
| Energy deficit | 13,878 kcal (58,104 kJ) | 1,503 kcal (6,293 kJ) |
Race time: 6 days 10 h and 51 min.
Practical Application
Measured by doubly labelled water in a four-rider relay team that finished the Race Across America in 6 days 10 h and 51 min, each rider spent a mean 6,420 kcal a day and took in 4 918 kcal, a deficit of 1,503 kcal a day and 13,878 kcal over the race. To "how much energy does a multi-day ultra cost and can I eat it back?": several thousand kcal a day, and even a supported team did not match it.
The authors' conclusion is practical: plan high-energy food that is palatable, because the problem is getting riders to eat enough, not knowing the target.
Inference, not tested here: these riders shared the riding in relay; a solo rider rides more hours per day and is likely to face a larger daily expenditure and less time to eat.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: expenditure this high cannot be sustained for long, and the base's metabolic-ceiling synthesis (SYNTH-24) explains why multi-week loads must drop; BMR was not measured here, so the multiple of BMR cannot be computed from this paper.
Limitations
One team of four riders; sex and level not given in the abstract; a relay format.
Doubly labelled water gives mean expenditure over the whole period, not per day or per stint; the per-day values are averages.
Intake was calculated from what was consumed, which carries recording error; no performance or health outcome is linked to the deficit in the abstract.
Written from the abstract and record metadata only (full text not read).
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
single-team case study, n=4